Ruger SR-22 Rifle Review: Part 1 - Introduction and Summary

Ruger SR-22 Rifle Review

Part 1 - Introduction and Summary

I have been a big fan of the Ruger products for many years, specifically the 10/22 platform. I got my first 10/22 rifle 25 years ago and after shooting literally tens of thousands of rounds, it is still a great and reliable rifle. Over the past several years I added a second 10/22 rifle and the Ruger 22 Charger as part of my home collection. With three rimfire guns, the family shooting events with my wife and kids are a blast. The other day I was in a gun store looking for one of the new "black" .22 rifles to review. If you have been in any gun store lately, you would see that the Assault/AR style .22 rifles are becoming an extremely popular line of firearms with nearly all of the major firearms manufacturers trying to establish their share of the market. After looking at several other rifles, the clerk showed me the new Ruger SR-22 and I immediately was taken in by this new look of an old and faithful friend. That was when I knew I had to get a Ruger SR-22 to review. When comparing rimfire rifles, it is hard to overlook the fact that Ruger has been producing the 10/22 rifle since 1964 and that represents 46 years of customer feedback and product enhancements to create the accurate and reliable platform they have today.

Ruger actually makes two versions of their Ruger SR-22 Rifle. They make the SR-22R and the SR-22RSC, where the "SC" portion stands for State Compliant. Based on the spec sheets from Ruger, the main differences between these rifles are that the "SC" versions do not have a flash hider (which also shortens the total length of the rifle), the stock is not collapsible (even though it looks like a collapsible version) and it is MA compliant. The rifle shown throughout this review is the SR-22R below (bipod not included). Throughout this review, you can click on a photo which will bring up a high definition photo showing more of the fine details on the rifle.

If you go to the Ruger website, you will see that suggested retail price for this rifle is $625, but you can find this rifle on the internet for about $460. If you are in the North Atlanta metro area, you can take a look at this rifle in person by visiting Hi Caliber located in Holley Springs, GA.

This review is broken down into multiple parts with this page providing links to each part along with an overall summary of the review.

Pros:

Built around the reliable Ruger 10/22 platform
Uses same rotary magazine as the 10/22
Minimal use of non-metal components
Buttstock, grip and flash suppressor compatible with other AR-style components
A wealth of aftermarket parts to continue customizing/accurizing as desired (trigger assemblies and barrels)
Many different styles and capacities of aftermarket magazines
High quality Nordic components

Cons:

No iron sights included
No hand guard rails included
Extent of disassembly required to remove the bolt for cleaning and the need to re-zero your scope afterwards if you have an early version of the rifle that requires removal of the top rail for disassembly

Bottom Line:

Ruger's SR-22 rifle is a tactical version of their Ruger 10/22 platform rifle which already has a huge following. I feel that the loyalty of current Ruger owners may be enough to convince them to purchase the SR-22 in the future. For those non-Ruger owners, this rifle should be considered if looking to get a tactical .22 caliber rifle. The one con that sticks out for me is the disassembly required if you want to do a complete (remove the bolt) cleaning. When I compare this con against all the other pros, I personally don't consider the disassembly a big deal. Would I recommend the SR-22 rifle? Already being a Ruger fan, the answer is simple. Yes. My objective and unbiased answer is that you should do your research before your purchase any rifle because there are some good rifles on the market, but the Ruger SR-22 should definitely be a rifle to consider.

The photo below shows my current configuration of the Ruger SR-22 Rifle. Installed on the rifle are the following accessories, and yes, I can actually see over/around the laser with my scope.

Iron Eagle Tactical Rails
Iron Eagle Tactical Combat Brush Guard
Iron Eagle Tactical Talon (Flash Hider)
Shooters Ridge Bipod
Barska Green Laser
UTG Swatforce Tactical 200 Lumens Flashlight
UTG Foldable Foregrip
Black Dog Machine 50 Round Drum Magazine
NcStar 3-12x50E Scope
Mako AR15 Butt Stock

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